Reminding people around the world to care for their physical, mental, and spiritual health with the slogan, “One day can change your whole life,” Global Wellness Day (GWD) was recently celebrated with a 12-hour livestream in addition to on-site complimentary educational wellness classes that took place throughout the world.
The iconic Kingdom Tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; the Clock Tower in Federation City, Argentina; and the Monumento Al Sembrador in Villa Elisa, Argentina were lit up in magenta to honor GWD. In fact, Saudi Arabia was one of the countries that celebrated GWD for the first time this year. Others included Algeria, Barbados, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, and Venezuela.
“I started the journey of Global Wellness Day 10 years ago advocating the fact that-wellness is not a luxury but the inherent right of every individual,” says founder Belgin Aksoy. “I’m happy to say that as a non-profit social movement, we have once again touched the lives of millions around the world, and I am grateful to the global community we have built together. Along with heartwarming news, this year Kingdom Tower in Saudi Arabia has taken the lead, and we will see more iconic buildings lighting up in magenta—the color of Global Wellness Day, in the following years.”
Celebrated in more than 170 countries, GWD activities took place in countries where pandemic conditions allowed. For example, there was hiking and dancing in Barbados, Pilates and yoga in Hungary, BoxHIIT and Zumba in New Zealand, sound meditation and aromatherapy workshops in Puerto Rica, and more.
And countries weren’t the only ones to get in on the action. Numerous brands also participated in their own unique ways. Renowned hotel chains like Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, One and Only Resorts, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Accor Hotels, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts as well as leading wellness destinations like Chiva-Som participated in the celebration with various events. Chiva-Som, used the opportunity to team up with Preserve Hua Hin Club once again to provide assistance and supportive resources to help the Karen communities in the Padeng district of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, donating medicine and first aid essential supplies and construction materials and equipment to repair the village’s collapsed bridge.
Airlines such as Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific; brands such as Tiger Balm, L’Occitane, Kerstin Florian, Garmin, and France 1st League football team Girondins de Bordeaux; and the Ministries of Tourism of Jamaica and Argentina also shared celebration messages across various platforms.
“Every year, I want to clone myself and participate at every GWD celebration taking place simultaneously, and since I can’t do that, this year I decided to celebrate GWD up in the sky paragliding with my son,” says Aksoy. “It was awesome. The sky is the limit, and we’ll keep working tirelessly until everyone in the world is celebrating GWD!”
